at all events for the present. To teach you will be a great pleasure. How strange it is that we should meet again in this manner!'

It is most fortunate for me,' said Nelly simply.

'I hope so, I trust so. Miss Conway, consider me your friend as much as your tutor. If I am saying too much, forgive me— but after what happened down at the seaside, it seems as if Fortune intended me to be of service to you.'

'It does indeed,' said Nelly gratefully.

There was something in this poor artist which inspired her with trust and confidence. He was so outspoken and frank-on everything except his own troubles-that a less unsuspicious person than herself might have well believed in him.

When Janet came into the room, and dropped into a chair with her needlework in her hand, Mr. Pearson raised his eyebrows, then murmured, To be sure,' and sighed. Nelly was not the least afraid of him, but the sense of his eccentricity did not wear off by any means. It seemed to her that the expression of premature age in this poor man, his pre-occupation, strange looks and incoherent talk, were all the result of trouble. In his teaching-for she took her first lesson then and there he was very quiet and patient. In the middle of it, a letter came for her, which being marked immediate,' she asked leave to open: otherwise she would have postponed the reading of it till she was alone for the handwriting was that of Raymond Pennicuick.

'You seem disturbed,' said Mr. Pearson gently. You have had no bad news, I hope?'

No: not exactly.'

"You said I might be your friend, Miss Conway,' continued her companion earnestly. If the matter is one in which I can be of any help, I need not say I am at your service.-Let me see the letter.'

There was

He took it out of her unresisting hand. It was a great liberty, of course, yet she experienced no sense of resentment. something in his manner so genuinely kind and honest, that it was impossible to be offended with him. Moreover, she felt the need of advice and sympathy as she had never felt it before. She had not a friend on earth, as it happened, who could give her an opinion upon the matter in question, without bias or prejudice.

'Dearest Nelly,' ran the letter. 'My father hears from Sandy beach that you have left your friends, and come to live in London alone, in hopes to earn your own living. I make no remark on this, because you know beforehand how I must regard such a course of conduct, how my heart bleeds for you when I think of the loneliness you must at present feel, and of the hard things that must

be in store for you. I hate myself, because I am at this moment in the midst of luxuries and comforts, and you are in your melancholy lodgings alone. However, I have no right, alas, to interfere in your arrangements. What I now write about is a communication that my father has received from Mr. Wardlaw. He urges upon him, now that he is in Parliament, that his first duty is to bring your poor father's case under the notice of the Government, in order that some sort of provision should be made for you. As you have refused all assistance, even from those whose greatest happiness it would be to serve you, it is possible that even the idea of a government pension may be disagreeable to you. But I venture to think that you are bound to consider other things than your own feelings in the matter. If I wished to be selfish, I might urge that your acquiescence in this plan would give my father an opportunity of publicly rebutting certain infamous though vague charges which have been recently made against him in the newspapers concerning his conduct at Dhulang: but I prefer to press upon you a less personal argument. I would remind you that various more or less distorted accounts have got abroad respecting the catastrophe that happened to Captain Conway; and that you owe it to his memory to have the matter placed in its true light. From all that I know or have heard of his character and disposition, it is inconceivable that he should have committed the indiscretion which cost him his life in the manner represented. The subject is so painful to the only person who can speak upon it, that even I myself am unacquainted with the details, but from what has dropped from him on the subject, I am sure it was a very, very hard case. Your kind heart will at once suggest, "But will it not be still more painful to that person to have to discuss the matter in public? " To that, I answer, No; or rather, that though it will undoubtedly be distressing, the result, when it is once over, will be beneficial. As it is, I am confident that the malicious innuendoes which the newspapers opposed to my father's politics have been vile enough to publish, are having a most prejudicial effect upon his health and spirits. His state is so grievous and deplorable, indeed, that I hardly like to dwell upon it. What I adjure you to do for all our sakes is this: write a few lines to my father, just to say that his intention of bringing Captain Conway's case before the notice of Parliament has reached your ears, and that it has your thorough approbation.

'I remain, dearest Nelly,
"Yours faithfully,

'RAYMOND PENNICUICK.'

'I have heard something of this,' said Mr. Pearson gravely, as he folded up the letter. The young gentleman's arguments are specious enough, but we must remember that he is an interested person.'

'You are wrong there, Mr. Pearson,' said Nelly warmly; he has not a grain of selfishness in him. On the contrary, what I fear is that all his reasoning is used to hide his earnest desire to see me independent; in short, that I should get the pension.'

Ah! and then, perhaps, he would like to win the pensioner.' 'You are most unjust,' cried Nelly, so vehemently that Janet dropped her work, and stared at her in mute astonishment. do not know Raymond Pennieuick-nor me.'

You

To be sure, that is true,' answered the other quietly. 'I was merely guided by one's ordinary experience of human nature. It is so rare to find young men without a grain of selfishness. After

all, perhaps my ignorance of the individuals in question may not make my opinion upon the matter in hand less valuable. Let me think about it while you go on with your drawing.'

Nelly's fingers were still trembling with indignation, but she did her best to comply with this request, while Mr. Pearson, chin in hand, and with his hollow eyes turned upon the leafless garden, gave himself up to reflection.

6

If the writer of that letter is, as you say, to be depended upon,' said he presently, if his statement of facts is genuine, you seem to me, my dear young lady, to have no choice but to act upon it. One point alone, on which he very justly dwells, appears to me to be conclusive.'

You mean, that I owe it to my father's memory.'

Mr. Pearson bowed his head. It is of course a matter of feeling. Since, as I learnt from Mrs. Wardlaw, you never knew him personally from your childhood, it is possible this consideration may not weigh with you-and very naturally-as it would weigh with some daughters.'

'Mr. Pearson,' said Nelly earnestly, you misjudge me. Never was father more loved by daughter than mine by me. We were separated, indeed, by distance, but we were not divided; my heart clung to him—and still clings-as nearly as though my hand had been always clasped in his.'

She was not indignant, as she had been when her companion had reflected upon Raymond's motives, but her tones had a certain tender dignity which was very impressive. On Mr. Pearson, however, this did not seem to have much effect.

'He was a good father to you, then, though he was so much from home?' said he quietly.

'The best of fathers; his poverty compelled him to live abroad with his regiment.'

Umph! I thought regiments came home every five or six years or so.'

'He exchanged more than once for the reasons I have stated.' 'He was a good husband, then, no doubt?'

'I do not feel called upon, Mr. Pearson, to discuss with you the affairs of my family,' said Nelly coldly. As a matter of fact, however, there was a misunderstanding between my dear father and mother. They are both in Heaven now, and that is over.' She rose and went to the window to hide her tears.

'Pray forgive me if I have pained you, my dear young lady. Such misunderstandings are common enough, and, as you say, death heals all.'

He sighed so deeply that Nelly turned to him with pity in her

dewy eyes. She could not help thinking how near he looked to death himself.

'You have given me more than full measure,' said she, alluding to the two hours' teaching that had been agreed upon as the length of her lessons; 'you must not lavish on me thus your time and strength.' The last word was uttered involuntarily, and was suggested by his appearance.

'But then we have been so discursive,' answered he with a faint smile.

6

'And, Mr. Pearson,' continued Nelly, blushing, and speaking so that Janet could not hear her, when would it be most convenient to you to-I mean, shall I send you what is due to you-and very small remuneration it is for such kindly teaching-weekly, or▬▬

The fact was, her tutor looked so poor, as well as ill, that she thought he might even prefer to receive his money day by daya reflection which alone enabled her to summon courage to speak upon such a subject.

Oh, I think monthly will do,' interrupted he, still smiling. 'You may imagine, perhaps, to look at me that I may not live a month, but that is my affair.'

'Dear Mr. Pearson, how you shock me!'

'Do I? then I won't do it again. Seriously, I am not going to die just yet, having something of importance to do first. Well, here are the heads for you to study in my absence' he had brought a couple of chalk drawings with him-only, don't you overwork yourself. It is better to read than to draw, remember, if you want to avoid thinking too much; and you'll write to say you'll have that pension, won't you?' added he suddenly.

'I will turn the matter over in my mind,' answered Nelly gravely, though the pension is not the point.'

'No, indeed; I forgot. It is your father's memory. You are a good girl; you will do what is right. Good day to you, my dear young lady.'

Despite his ghastly looks, Nelly thought she had seldom seen a kindlier smile than that of Mr. Pearson. His troubles might have embittered his nature, but surely it was still wholesome and tender at the core.

CHAPTER XLIV.

HAUNTED.

Ir is a fortnight since Nelly Conway took her first lesson in Gower Street, and during that time there have been spring tides in the ebb and flow of the lives of more than one person in this history

and she has been the moon which has most certainly caused them. Herbert Milburn has let his family seat,' to his sister's extreme annoyance, and sailed for China, though his leave has by no means expired. It seems to him that he will never wish to return to his native land again.

Ralph Pennicuick is sitting at his chamber window at the Albany, watching the waning light in the skies, and the growing light in the streets. There is something which lies before him to be done this night which lies heavy on his soul, and prevents his giving his mind to any other subject for an instant. On the notice board of the House of Commons there is a statement that he, Ralph Pennicuick, will rise in his place, within the next four hours, and put a question to the Government concerning certain proceedings at Dhulang, and as to the reasons why a pension should not have been conferred upon the orphan daughter of Captain Arthur Conway deceased. The chief Tory organ has expressed its approval of this course in a far from complimentary fashion. Among its Topics of the Day' appeared this paragraph :-'We are glad to inform our readers that we are at last to hear from the honourable member for Slowcombe his own story of the Dhulang catastrophe; we shall compare it very carefully with certain notes of the same event with which we have been specially favoured by an eye-witness.' The appearance of these few lines, which were probably passed by altogether unnoticed by nine hundred and ninetynine out of every thousand of those who read them, had affected the subject of them most seriously. Indeed, since his eyes had lit on them they had not known sleep. An eye-witness! That must certainly be a falsehood, for, except Fu-chow and the Chinese officials, there could be no witness to what had happened at Dhulang in existence. Still, how came such a paragraph into the paper? It had come out within twelve hours of his placing his notice on the board, and bitterly he now repented of having done It had been weak of him to the last degree to make his consent dependent upon Nelly's wishes, but he made certain that she would have opposed such a proceeding. How useless were sagacity and knowledge of human character to forecast the whims of women!

so.

The reflection may have been a just one, but intelligent as Pennicuick undoubtedly was, he had not possessed the data for judgment in the present case. His mind had only concerned itself with the matter of the pension, which, we have seen, was not Nelly's motive of action at all: had that been the only question involved, she would no doubt have declined his services, and justified his foresight. But since she had said, 'Yes,' he, Ralph